The weather changes, beware of purulent tonsillitis

This is an automatically translated article.

The article is professionally consulted with Master, Doctor Phan Ngoc Hai - Department of Pediatrics - Neonatology - Vinmec International General Hospital Da Nang. Dr. Hai used to work at the Neonatology Department of Da Nang Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital and Hoan My Da Nang Hospital. His strength is in general pediatric examination and treatment, neonatal examination and treatment, pediatric resuscitation.
The change of weather causes many diseases to appear, one of the most common diseases is tonsillitis pus, pharyngitis granulomatous pus. This disease is easy to recur many times, if not treated promptly can cause serious complications.

1. What is purulent tonsillitis?

The tonsils protect the body against pathogenic microorganisms that enter through the respiratory tract and gastrointestinal tract because it has the function of producing antibodies. Because the structure of the tonsils consists of many cavities, the protective position of the oropharyngeal gate makes it easy for microorganisms to penetrate and cause tonsillitis.
Bacteria after penetration will hide and grow in the cavities, causing inflammation for a long time to create pus blocks. This phenomenon is called suppurative tonsillitis.
Pus in the tonsil cavity is usually blue-white or clumped into lumps like bean paste, so this disease is also known as pustular tonsillitis or granulomatous pharyngitis.
Tonsillitis is divided into 2 types: acute tonsillitis and chronic tonsillitis. If acute tonsillitis is not treated promptly and properly, there is a risk of progressing to chronic tonsillitis. Purulent tonsillitis is a form of chronic tonsillitis.

2. Causes of purulent tonsillitis

The tonsils play a very important role, serving as an immune barrier in the upper respiratory tract. The tonsils produce antibodies to protect the respiratory tract. Right from the time of birth, the tonsils are normal lymphoid tissues.
When the pharyngeal muscles work to chew and swallow food, the rubbing of food when passing through the pharynx wall leads to inflammation, the appearance of pus-filled cysts in the tonsil cavity with greenish-white sheets like pus.
Some types of bacteria cause tonsillitis, including staphylococci, spirochetes, group A streptococcus... These bacteria not only cause pharyngitis, tonsillitis, but they also cause autoimmune diseases. immune to damage to the glomerulus, joint capsule, heart valve. These are all dangerous diseases.
One of the causes of purulent tonsillitis is acute tonsillitis but not promptly and properly treated, creating favorable conditions for bacteria to invade, especially for people with strong health. poor resistance.
People who have poor hygiene of teeth, mouth, throat.. often have tonsil disease in general and tonsils in pus cavity in particular. Besides, the erratic factors of weather, living environment, environmental pollution, air pollution, smoking, smoking... are also the causes of the weakening of the immune system. . This makes the tonsils vulnerable to damage and when faced with adverse factors, it will cause inflammation and purulent tonsillitis.
People with poor resistance such as malnourished children and weak old people are also susceptible to tonsillitis. Especially when the weather changes suddenly, purulent tonsillitis is easy to recur.

3. Signs of purulent tonsillitis

Purulent tonsillitis is easy to recognize when observing the symptoms with the naked eye. The characteristic signs of the disease are:
White or green pus-filled cavity in the oral cavity, around the tonsils; The most common symptom is fever, but if you have recurrent suppurative tonsillitis, this sign may not be present; Pain, burning throat, sometimes spreading to the ear area, the longer the disease lasts, the worse this condition becomes. When swallowing or chewing food, it will feel more painful; Discomfort in the throat causes you to spit a lot, causing a sore throat. Sputum may be accompanied by thick sputum, bad breath, making the patient anorexia, fatigue; The tonsils are swollen, red, and white fluid appears on the surface. To determine the cause of purulent tonsillitis, it is necessary to perform a microbiological test, especially group A streptococcus bacteria.

4. Is purulent tonsillitis dangerous?

If not treated promptly and properly, tonsillitis will recur many times, especially when the weather changes. This will greatly affect the life, work and health of the patient.
One of the most dangerous complications is tonsillitis caused by group A streptococcus bacteria (St.pyogenes). When they appear and cause tonsillitis, it will lead to autoimmune disease, the antibodies produced by the tonsils will fight against their own organization.
When the tonsils are too large, the airways will be compressed, causing sleep apnea syndrome. Besides, purulent tonsillitis also causes sinusitis, laryngitis, lower respiratory tract inflammation, lung failure, heart failure, arthritis, glomerulonephritis, tonsil abscess...
In addition, a In some cases, tonsils with pus cavity may also have facial edema and limb edema.

5. Treatment of purulent tonsillitis

To treat purulent tonsillitis, it is necessary to first perform a microbiological test of the throat mucus and pus in the tonsils to have the appropriate treatment.
When you have purulent tonsillitis caused by edematous mucosa in the sinuses, the doctor will use edema drugs, spray vasoconstrictor drugs to drain the sinus openings and wash the sinuses under negative pressure to pull fluid and pus out. out of the sinuses.
If medical treatment is not effective, the doctor will consider to appoint tonsillectomy. Absolutely do not arbitrarily use antibiotics to treat purulent tonsils.
When the weather changes suddenly, we need to be wary of tonsillitis, because the disease is easy to appear and recur many times. To prevent this situation, it is necessary to keep the throat and teeth clean, brush your teeth after eating and before going to bed, regularly rinsing your mouth with salt water. With the current state of ominous air pollution, it is necessary to pay attention to wearing a mask when going out to avoid microorganisms in dust from entering and harming the body, and at the same time, to protect the respiratory tract from toxins. harmful.
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Gathering a team of top doctors and nurses in Pediatrics : consists of leading experts with high professional qualifications (professors, associate professors, doctorates, masters), experienced, worked at major hospitals such as Bach Mai, 108.. Doctors All doctors are well-trained, professional, conscientious, knowledgeable about young psychology. In addition to domestic pediatric specialists, the Department of Pediatrics also has the participation of foreign experts (Japan, Singapore, Australia, USA) who are always pioneers in applying the latest and most effective treatment regimens. . Comprehensive services: In the field of Pediatrics, Vinmec provides a series of continuous medical examination and treatment services from Newborn to Pediatric and Vaccine,... according to international standards to help parents take care of their baby's health from birth to childhood. from birth to adulthood Specialized techniques: Vinmec has successfully deployed many specialized techniques to make the treatment of difficult diseases in Pediatrics more effective: neurosurgery - skull surgery, stem cell transplantation. blood in cancer treatment. Professional care: In addition to understanding children's psychology, Vinmec also pays special attention to the children's play space, helping them to have fun and get used to the hospital's environment, cooperate in treatment, improve the efficiency of medical treatment.

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